Retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Gene R. Bellar is a decorated WWII, Vietnam, and Korean War veteran. And he loves to play Texas Hold’em poker. A longtime Chula Vista resident, Bellar gets up early every morning and drives himself to Seven Mile Casino to play a few hands, sometimes winning a hand or two. Turning 100 in December, Bellar was given an honor of a lifetime when he was invited to Las Vegas to play in the World Series of Poker, Salute to Heroes No-Limit Hold’em tournament at the Horseshoe/Paris Las Vegas June 27-29.
Bellar joined the Navy in 1942 at 17-years-old. After WWII, he left the Navy for two years, then reenlisted in 1948. Bellar was an aviation ordnanceman, retiring in 1967.
“Las Vegas was quite a deal,” he said. “One of the guys at Seven Mile Casino asked me if I was interested in going to Vegas and playing in a tournament there. They paid for all our expenses, and we were there for two days. I did pretty well there. I played for nine hours.”
Bellar, who was accompanied by his daughter Sandy Bellar, said that when they arrived, they were “treated like royalty.”
“There were many veterans there,” he said. “The tournament was in honor of veterans. They asked me to wear my uniform, and it still fits after 57 years.”
Bellar was an “honorary veteran” at the tournament. He participated in the Honor Guard ceremony, and in poker fashion began the tournament by saying, “Dealers, shuffle up and deal.”
WSOP Content Producer Jesse Fullen, who has worked in poker for eight years, said WSOP is a tournament series that began in 1970, and this was its 55th year. He said the tournament has grown from 14 to 16 people, to now, more than 10,000 players. He said that he learned of Bellar from a friend of his who plays at Seven Mile Casino.
“I was blown away when I heard his story about Gene,” he said. “We have an event every year, A Salute to Warriors on July 4, where half the money we bring in, we donate to the USO [United Services Organizations, Inc.] We bring in the color guard, play the national anthem, and it is a really fun way to celebrate those who have served in the military.”
Fullen, after hearing Bellar’s story, went to his team to see if they would get him in the tournament.
“How cool would it be if we could fly this guy out,” he said. “He has never been in the world series. Let’s fly this guy out and treat him like royalty. Let’s get him a limousine or Town Car to pick him up from the airport, pay for his hotel, his meals, and buy him into our tournament.”
Fullen said every time a tournament begins, they do a Shuffle Up and Deal, which in poker is the gunshot start.
“Talking to Gene and his daughter Sandy, he loved the idea,” he said. “He came out. He brought his dress uniform. He was so sweet and amazing. We have a big stage. We did a video interview with him. We took him to the tournament. We had a room with 3,0000 to 4,000 people, and they were all up clapping for him. People would come by and pat him on the back and take pictures with him. It was so sweet. We were very happy to celebrate him, celebrate the tournament, and show the veterans that we care and want to do something special for these amazing people.”
Fullen said Bellar was fascinating, getting up and going to the casino at 6 a.m. to try and beat the players who had been playing all night. He said he was a little worried because the tournament begins at 10 a.m. and goes well into the night.
“Gene lasted nine hours, which is incredible,” he said. “He was so tired at the end, but he had some great hands. He was playing like a much younger man. It was an incredible experience to see. People at his table came to me later and told me how much fun it was playing with him, and how he scared them. He is color blind, and our chips have a different value, just different colors. He did not realize that he was betting way too much a few times. Some players could have taken advantage of him, but these guys got scared and he won a lot of hands. It was a sweet, fun story.”
Fullen said this long tournament was something that Bellar was not used to, especially sitting for such a long period of time, and later when he asked Bellar if he would ever come back, he said, “Absolutely not. I miss my chair.”
